Child's Play
by ShinyCDiver
Summary: Maki has turned into a child without any memories of anything beyond her current age! Why doesn't her mother seem to care about the transformation? More importantly, why is Maki still growing younger? Follow Honoka and the rest of Muse as they try to pin down the cause of the supernatural phenomenon. Multiple endings, therefore possible character death(s)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know people are probably going to kill me for this, but I've run into a writer's block for the other stories. Not that I ran out of ideas. I know how I want each story to progress but I just can't put into words yet. So take this as a peace offering until my work load from school loosens up and I figure out how to type again. I don't own Love Live.**

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"Cheers for the love~!" Honoka sang under her breath as she walked briskly to the clubroom. Umi and Kotori were still in the classroom since the two of them had clean-up duty and both had urged Honoka to go ahead without them. The ginger desperately wanted to run to the club and find the student she had been waiting to see since they separated the previous day. But she didn't, because the Student Council President and the Vice President would catch her. And punish her. Not that it ever happened, even if she ran. But she preferred not getting in trouble for now real reason.

"I'm here~" She said cheerfully, pushing the door open before her. The clubroom was silent. Not a single member was there. "Huh? Where's everyone? …I thought Maki-chan would be the first here, for sure. Or Nico-chan. She practically lives here when she's not in class." Honoka frowned, having been so excited to see what she considered her most important person.

"Oh well." She sighed, walking forward to the table and taking a seat on one of the chairs. "Guess I'll have to wait then." Becoming bored almost immediately, the ginger rested her head on the table and stared at the opposing wall. She slowly shifted her gaze, eyeing every facet and decoration on the wall. She turned her head completely to the right and then down to the floor, where she saw something she hadn't noticed earlier. A pile of clothes, the school uniform to be exact, was on the floor next to her. She decided it was interesting enough to investigate and got down into a kneeling position next to the pile. Honoka gingerly poked it with one finger. A sharp gasp came from the pile and it shifted away from her. Honoka flinched back and saw something else. The blue ribbon of the first years had fallen from the rest of the uniform and it lay on the floor. She picked it up and turned it around in her hands.

"A moving pile of school uniform that belongs to a first year student…" Honoka muttered, not understanding the situation she was in. At the sound of her voice so close, the pile shuddered. As Honoka watched, a small head poked out the top of the shirt portion of the pile. Amethyst eyes sparkling with curiosity framed by strands of crimson hair peered at the shocked second-year.

"W-what's going on here?!" Honoka screamed at the top of her lungs. Thanks to her idol practice, she hit a very, very high note with her scream and it rang loudly through the halls of the school. The child, which she recognized as Maki, did not like the scream. So the red-head did what any normal child would do when screamed at. She started to cry. Loudly. Almost at the same noise level as Honoka's scream.

"No, no, no! Don't cry, don't cry!" Honoka said, frantically looking around for something to distract the crying child. Meanwhile, Maki continued to sob, tears streaming down her face and snot running from her nose. She held her arms at her side instead of trying to wipe her face, probably because the ends of the sleeves were stuck under the skirt, which she was standing on.

"What's going on, Honoka?" Eri asked, walking into the room. Nozomi was right behind her, though Eri blocked her entrance with one arm as she scanned the area.

"I don't know, Eri-chan! She surprised me, so I screamed and now she's crying and won't stop!" Honoka wailed, which the two third-years barely heard over Maki's renewed sobs.

"She? She who?" Eri said, confused. She let Nozomi into the room, and the purple-haired girl made a beeline for the source of the crying.

"It's Maki-chan, Eri-chi!" Nozomi said, surprised. She knelt down by the crying girl as Eri walked over to get a better look.

"…What?" was all Eri was able to come up with. Nozomi ignored her, finding it more important to stop the sobs first.

"There, there. It's okay. Honoka-chan didn't mean to scare you." Nozomi murmured, rubbing Maki's back with a slow circular motion. Tearful violet eyes met the emerald eyes of the high-schooler. Maki tilted her head, questioningly, then looked at Honoka. Honoka smiled, even though she was still weirded out by Maki becoming a child. Maki smiled back, even though there were still tears in her eyes.

"Okay now?" Nozomi asked. Maki nodded, giving the spiritual girl a shy smile. Nozomi returned it gently. She pulled a cloth out from her bag and wiped Maki's face clean of the tear stains and snot.

"How did this happen, Honoka?" Eri asked, now that Maki was calm again.

"I-I don't know! There was a pile of clothes on the floor and it turned out to be her!" Honoka said. Nozomi had picked the girl up to sit her on the table. Maki was only dressed in her older blouse and jacket, seeing as everything was too big to fit her anymore.

"How old are you?" Nozomi asked. Maki thought about it then held up a hand with all five fingers extended. "So, you're five right now?" The red-head nodded, kicking her legs up and down. "Do you remember any of us?" The response was a shake of her head. Nozomi stood up to her full height and Maki stared at her with wide eyes.

"This isn't good, Eri-chi. She's five years old and doesn't remember us." Nozomi said, basically repeating what the other two had just witnessed.

"Is Maki-chan here nya?!" Rin shouted, bursting into the room. "She went to the restroom and didn't come back earlier!" Hanayo followed her more energetic friend, though she was equally worried about Maki. The girl in question stared wide-eyed at the two newcomers in silence, her mouth forming the shape of a small o. Honoka turned away from the awkward tension and instead set about picking up the rest of Maki's clothing. '_A skirt, her socks, her shoes, and…'_

"I found Maki-chan's panties!" She gasped, holding the article of clothing in the air before her. The child turned her attention at the sound of her name, though she seemed unbothered by the fact that it was her underwear in the air. Then again, Maki was too young to comprehend the implications behind Honoka's statement.

"No perverted actions, please." Umi said, striding up from behind Honoka to snatch the cloth away. Honoka lunged for it and Umi chopped her on the head, before heading to Maki's dropped school bag and shoving the cloth inside. Honoka, who had gone into a squatting position after getting chopped, cried silent tears. Maki got on all fours and looked down at Honoka in confusion.

"Hey. Why is everyone just standing around?" Nico asked, having to stop at the doorway since Kotori was still blocking the way into the room. The ash brunette stepped aside to let the club president in. Maki sat back on her knees and looked at the third-year student. She tilted her head in a questioning way.

"Hey…what's wrong with Maki-chan?" Nico zig-zagged her way around the other Muse members and up to the where the child sat on the table. The red-head gave Nico her full attention, staring attentively at her with inquiring eyes.

"…she hasn't said anything nya. Don't you think that's weird?" Rin muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"But don't you think we should get her actual clothes instead of letting her wear her jacket only?" Kotori asked, bringing up the most important topic that no one else had thought of before.

"Oh! We should! But who should go?" Nozomi said, tapping her chin with one finger. Honoka, who had recovered at some point, raised her hand.

"I volunteer as tribute!" She shouted.

"No more Hunger Games for you." Umi muttered, facepalming.

"Eh?! But it's like one of the only book series I read!" Honoka said, shocked.

"Um…can we get back on topic?" Hanayo said, sweatdropping a little.

"Why don't we go with Honoka-chan?" Kotori said, volunteering herself and Umi.

"Then let's go!" Honoka yelled, taking off. She didn't wait to see if the group was approved or even for the other two to agree and follow. Umi groaned and jogged after Honoka, Kotori trailing slightly behind.

* * *

Within half an hour, the three second-years were back with bags of clothing.

"We didn't know how much she would need." Kotori explained.

"Honoka actually wanted to buy more than this." Umi grumbled. "We had to talk her out of most of it."

"But I thought Maki-chan would look good in it!" Honoka said defensively.

"Now that you're back…who's going to actually take responsibility and get Maki-chan to change?" Eri asked. Honoka raised her hand.

"No. I think everyone agrees, seeing as how you reacted with Maki's …that…. Before." Umi said, ignoring Honoka's pout.

"She's got a point." Nico said. She had been keeping the girl in question amused with her 'Super Idol' antics but now she stopped. Maki frowned slightly but decided that there were other interesting things to do besides watching Nico. Like finding out what were in those bags for example. She crawled on her hands and knees over to one of the clothing bags and peered in.

"I can do it, if no one else wants to." Nozomi said. No one protested so Nozomi took some of the bags in one arm and tucked Maki under the other and went into the other room.

Once inside, she set Maki on the floor in a standing position. The red-head watched her rummage through the bag.

"Maki-chan, can you unbutton your jacket and shirt?" Nozomi asked, not looking up from the bags. Maki nodded, even though the other couldn't see, and started on her task. However, the jacket sleeves were too long and she could barely get her hands out when she rolled up the sleeves to her elbows. She looked down, found the first button, and fumbled with it, trying to get it out. After a couple seconds of trying, she gave up and looked at Nozomi for help. But the other girl was still busy.

* * *

"Hello, Maki's mom." Eri had found Maki's cell phone and decided to alert the red-head's mom in case that there was something they weren't aware of when Maki was a child. It took her a few minutes to explain the situation to the elder woman.

"Is Maki speaking to any of you?" The woman asked after a lengthy pause, long enough that Eri put the phone on speaker.

"No. She hasn't said a word to anyone, though she cried." Honoka said, sheepishly.

"Hm… Well, there's nothing strange about it. Maki was not a child who spoke unless it was an emergency." Maki's mom said.

"Thank goodness. I thought there was a deeper reason for her not speaking." Eri said.

"It's nothing. She just didn't like talking, for some reason. Is she there right now?"

"No, Nozomi-chan's changing her clothes in the next room." Kotori informed her.

"When you're done, can you bring her and her stuff to my house? Oh, and, you can stay over if you want so bring whatever you need. I'd better go now." Maki's mom hung up the phone.

"So…sleepover at Maki-chan's place, nya?" Rin asked.

* * *

Maki was panicking. She had been told to unbutton her shirt but she couldn't even get the button free from her jacket. And the other girl, Nozomi, was still busy and wasn't looking at her.

"N-N-Nozomi!" She said, getting the other girls attention.

"Hm? What is it, Maki-chan?" Nozomi said, with a gentle smile. Maki fidgeted, not wanting to admit that she couldn't unbutton her shirt. "If it's nothing then~" It was a tease but Maki fell for it.

"I-I c-can't unbutton my j-jacket…" Maki blushed and looked down at her feet. The spiritual girl chuckled softly and stepped over to the child.

"Here. I'll help you, okay?" Nozomi said. Maki nodded, falling silent again, now that the situation had been addressed. The third year unbuttoned the jacket and the shirt, leaving the small child standing there without any clothing. One by one, Nozomi helped Maki into the new clothes that had been bought for her. First, the underwear, though secretly she wondered who had bought this part of the needed clothing. Then she pulled Maki's new shorts up. They were white in color and very soft to touch. She picked out a simple light purple t-shirt for Maki to pull on, followed by a calico colored hoodie. The socks that they had picked out for the child were white, which went with the white Mary Janes they had bought.

"Let's get back to the others shall we?" Nozomi said, stuffing the over-sized jacket and shirt into one of the clothing bags. Maki nodded and held her arms up for Nozomi to pick her up. The third-year obliged and the two of them headed back to rejoin the other Muse members. They opened the door just in time to hear Rin's comment.

"So…sleepover at Maki-chan's place nya?"

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**A/N: Not sure this should be continued or not. I'll let the readers decide since I dunno if this should continue.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Because I turned in my senior quote today, I will share the quote with my readers out there as well. I know it's kinda cheesy but personally, I like it.**

"**It's okay if no one accepts you right now. Someday, there will be a group of people who will accept you no matter what. So don't change." –Me (I won't put my real name there.)**

**And moving on to the main story. I don't know if anyone wants a OC to be commentating here so for now, it'll just be me. Actually, I've had the idea of a child Maki interacting with the other Muse members for a long time, since before Love Past was written. (It actually spawned Love Past, though I'm not quite sure what led to the actual pairing in that fanfic.) And yes, it is one more additional story to the ones I have not finished. But it's fun, going all over the place at once. I do realize that the update rate for each will be slowed down because of the sheer amount of stories and I apologize for that.**

**Shout out to the person reviewing on my DeviantArt. Thank you.**

…**I said I was going to move on but then I ended up rambling. My apologies and now we'll move on. I do not own Love Live or the characters.**

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"Waah! So cute!" Honoka squealed, being the first to notice when Nozomi carried Maki back into the room. Maki blinked and pointed to herself. "Yes, you, Maki-chan!" The red-head smiled shyly before hiding her blushing face in the cloth of Nozomi's jacket. Honoka reached out to take Maki from Nozomi but the third-year decided she didn't want to let the child slip from her arms yet. Nozomi dropped the clothes bags and turned so that her body was between Maki and Honoka.

"Aw, come on Nozomi-chan! Let me have a turn!" Honoka whined.

"No~" Nozomi chirped, skipping away. She slipped behind Umi and Eri and used them as a block to stop Honoka.

"No fair!" The ginger pouted, not wanting to push past two of the 'No-Fun Group', the collective name used for Umi, Eri, and Maki. Of course, they had been dubbed the 'Soldier Game Trio' for a while after that song came out but the rest of the members soon went back to using 'No-Fun' for the three. Always when those three were out of earshot, of course.

Nozomi smirked, having won that round. Maki had other plans. The child reached her arms out to Honoka, wanting to comfort the second-year.

"Huh? Maki-chan?" Nozomi was confused. Maki ignored her and continued reaching for Honoka. The ginger broke into a huge grin and stepped forward to take the red-head into her own arms. Eri and Umi stepped aside awkwardly. Apparently they didn't understand why Nozomi had hid behind them nor did they understand why Honoka stopped instead of pushing past them. The third-year sighed in defeat and handed the young girl over.

"I win!" Honoka cheered. Maki stared at her for a bit. Satisfied that Honoka was no longer sad, she chose to stare around at everyone else in the room to take in their faces.

"Um…should we go now? Maki-chan's mom said to go to her house as soon as we could…"Hanayo trailed off.

"And she also said that we needed to bring our sleepover stuff." Kotori said. "That means we'll have to go by everyone's house before going to Maki-chan's."

"I called Maki's mom while you were changing her." Eri explained to Nozomi, who had been looking confused at the other two's conversation. The spiritual girl nodded.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get going." Nico said. Almost at once, the eight of them picked up whatever bags needed to be carried and left the clubroom.

The first stop was made at Nozomi's apartment. The third-year refused to let any of them into the apartment, despite their protests.

"Maybe her parents are home and she doesn't want to bother them?" Hanayo thought aloud.

"That makes sense." Rin agreed.

From Nozomi's apartment, they made their way through the city to Nico's apartment. Like when they went to Nozomi's home, none of the other eight were allowed to follow Nico into the building. By now, Honoka's arms were tired and she set Maki down on the ground with the instruction to always hold onto one of their jackets or their hands. She got a solemn nod as a response as a tiny hand reached up to grab the bottom of her jacket.

The nine of them continued walking, stopping by Eri's house as they passed. They were all let into the house and took a small water break while the third-year gathered her supplies.

"Whoa, what happened to Nishikino-san?" Arisa asked, kneeling down before the smaller child.

"The thing is, we don't know." Umi explained and Arisa nodded, despite that it didn't explain anything at all. She held up one hand and after some hesitation, Maki raised her own hand and touched Arisa's. Pulling out her phone, Honoka snapped a picture and wondered why she didn't think to do so earlier when Maki was only in a jacket.

Maki waved to Arisa as they left Eri's house, her other hand clutching Umi's. They made a zig-zag path among the various alleyways to get to Hanayo's and Rin's houses. Instead of going in, the other seven decided to wait outside while the two first-years gathered what they thought they needed. The elder students took a breather as they watched Maki tip-toe over to one of the many pigeons in Tokyo. The bird flapped away as the child got close, startling the red-head. She ran back to the others and hid behind Eri's legs. Chuckling softly, the blonde reached down and patted the child on her head. Maki smiled at the attention she was getting and when they set out again, she was holding Eri's hand.

They reached Kotori's home next. The ash-brunette let the girls in while she explained the situation to her own mother. Maki clung to Eri's leg, staring up at the taller woman.

"Hello." Kotori's mother smiled. Maki waved shyly. Meanwhile, Kotori had gone to her room to get her things. As the third-years made small talk with Kotori's mom, the first-years and second-years (minus Kotori) followed Maki as the child set about exploring the house they were in. There was a glass sliding door in one of the rooms. With the intention of heading into the next room, the red-head ran head-on into the door. She fell back away from the glass, holding her forehead.

"Maki-chan!" Honoka shouted in fear, running forward to check on the girl. Maki grinned at her to say that she was fine, though she now sported a red mark on her forehead.

They stopped at Umi's house next so the bluenette could get the things she would need to stay over at Maki's house. No one knew how she did it (maybe she had a bag ready with all the necessary sleepover things in case she was ever asked to go on one) but she managed to dash in and come back out with a bag in less than five minutes.

"Let's go." Umi said, not even bothering to explain how she managed to get everything so quickly. Even though everyone else was staring at her.

From Umi's house, they went to their next stop at Honoka's house. The ginger let them into the main shop, knowing that she'd take a long time to get everything she needed. Maki decided to explore the shop like she did Kotori's home, though she was more careful to avoid running into glass by accident.

"Hello~" Honoka's mom greeted the child as she passed by the counter. The red-head blinked and lfted her face to see the person speaking to her. Maki smiled and waved cheerfully at the older woman.

"Would you like a red bean mochi?" She asked, pulling the sweet from the refridgerated case and holding it above Maki's head. Maki nodded and reached for the treat. "Ah, ah, ah. Say 'please.'"

"Please~" Maki chirped eagerly, stretching up on her tip-toes to reach for the sweet. Honoka's mom smiled and handed the child the sweet. "Thank you!" Maki made a small bow and started nibbling on her food.

"Um…how much is the mochi?" Eri asked, reaching for her wallet.

"It's on the house since she's such a cute and polite child!" Honoka's mom said, waving Eri's offered money away.

"Okay, I'm ready! Let's go!" Honoka shouted, charging into the shop from the house portion of the building.

All eight of the teenagers were burdened with bags so that none of them were capable of holding Maki's hand anymore. She was starting to get tired but she didn't want to place a heavier burden on any of them. So she kept silent, like normal, and walked alongside the high schoolers, holding onto Honoka's jacket.

Eri nudged Honoka. "What?" The ginger said in response.

"Give me some of your bags. Maki's getting tired." Eri said. Honoka looked down at the five year old. Maki was stumbling along, her eyes drooping slightly.

"Okay…" However, Honoka refused to give Eri any of the bags she carried and instead shifted the amount she carried so that she could pick up Maki and hold her with one arm. Maki instinctively wrapped her arms around Honoka's neck and rested her head on the ginger's shoulder.

They arrived at the Nishikino mansion in that manner. Maki had dozed off, still carried by Honoka, and the ginger still refused to let anyone else take any extra weight on.

"Oh, you girls finally made it!" Maki's mom greeted them at the doorstep. "You can give everything to the butler." The teenagers did as they were told. As Honoka handed the butler her things, the movement caused Maki to wake up. The red-head looked around curiously and spotted her mother.

"Mama!" She chirped, stretching her arms out to her mother.

"Hai, hai." Maki's mom stepped over to take her daughter from Honoka. Honoka was slightly disappointed by released the child. "Now, let's go to the living room, shall we?" Without waiting for an answer, the older woman strode off with the child, leaving the teenagers to follow.

But since Maki's mom was a doctor, she was soon called off to the hospital that the family owned for an emergency. She left Nozomi and Eri in charge as they seemed the most mature of all the Muse members.

"…I know this is a bit late, but how come Maki's so relaxed if she has no idea who we are?" Umi asked, once they had managed to locate their sleeping quarters in the maze Maki called home.

"Maybe because we haven't done anything bad?" Hanayo asked. She had taken custody of the small child at the moment, sitting with Maki on her lap.

"Hey, Maki-chan! What's Rin's name nya?" Rin asked.

"Rin!" Maki responded.

"Uwah! Maki-chan's smart nya!" Rin said, dramatically falling backwards at Maki's 'genius'.

"What about me?" Nozomi asked.

"Um…Nozomi!" Maki said brightly. Nozomi grinned.

"And her?" She asked, pointing at Eri.

"Eri-chi?" Maki said, tilting her head. That name had been the first she heard when referring to the blonde. Eri blushed.

"That works!" Nozomi said, laughing.

"What about me, Maki-chan?!" Honoka asked.

"Hono-cha!" Maki said cheerfully. Honoka's jaw dropped as the rest of her friends snickered at the new nickname she had just been given.

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**A/N: …Bye. *poofs away to work on another story***


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I just found out that Eri's name could mean "the protector" while searching for names for these two. I find it easier to use OC's to comment but none of the others will do for this story. These are the twins, Ayase Yumi and Miyu.**

**Yumi: Konnichiwa, minna-san! You probably could tell from our last name but just in case you haven't, we're EriNozo's children.**

**Miyu: …you could just say Eri and Nozomi you know.**

**Yumi: It's more fun this way. So we'll be handling reviews for Child's Play from now on. I say we get started!**

**Miyu: Yay…**

**Yumi: Put some more enthusiasm into it, sis!**

**Miyu: Y-yay!**

**Yumi: Much better. Msmusicful….sometimes you have to wonder…why do other people's comments matter? It's how you feel that's important. There's no point in trying to change yourself to satisfy someone else if it doesn't make you happy.**

**Miyu: Unless you have a bad habit. Then yeah, you should change that.**

**Yumi: Sis is right. Want to do the next one?**

**Miyu: To KevinCruelz: Yes, Nozomi lives alone but at this point in the story, it is before the other members learns that fact. As to why Maki's mom is not concerned that her daughter literally regressed into a child…let's just say that she is more occupied with life-threatening diseases than a non-lethal transformation. **

**Yumi: *claps* Nice speech~**

**Miyu: Whatever, your turn next.**

**Yumi: Author-san is updating right now, DChen. I think you already know that though. Should I take the next two too?**

**Miyu: Please.**

**Yumi: Alright. Fluff and cuteness everywhere! *celebrates with confetti and puffs of cotton***

**Miyu: …what? Nevermind, don't answer that. I'll take the last review. To Nelura, it is a HonoMaki fic, though it is mostly one-sided now. Honoka will do some…lewd things to which Maki would not react like normal since she is just a kid now.**

**Yumi: Now let's move on with the story! Author-san does not own Love Live!**

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"Maki-chan! Please come back to Rin nya!" Rin wailed as she followed the super-hyped up and stubborn child for what must have been the 10th lap around the room. Umi was the only other Muse still capable of chasing the child, though both of them were reaching the end of their endurance while Maki showed no sign of slowing down. The red-head giggled and sped up, turning just before she hit the wall to continue running.

"W-what…happened to the…cute and quiet girl earlier?" Honoka asked, her chest heaving as she lay on the floor.

"Maybe it's because we're at her house? And her mom's not here?" Kotori said in response, having recovered slightly more than Honoka had, though she was still in no shape to give chase again.

"Ugh….maybe…" Honoka muttered, staring up at the ceiling.

"I'm giving it another shot!" Nico pushed herself up and joined Rin and Umi as they chased Maki around the room.

"Where did she get all the energy from?" Hanayo asked. She propped herself on one elbow to look at her seniors.

"Kids are so lively~" Nozomi commented. Like the rest of her friends (well, except the ones who still chased Maki), she was lying on her back on the cool floor of their room.

"Well, is everyone up for one last shot?" Eri asked, sitting up and surveying the other tired teenagers.

Whether they were up for it or not, Eri pushed them back into the chase. Seeing as all eight of them were at it again, they decided to split up and track Maki separately instead of following her in a pack. The upside to trying it this way was that they got a lot more ground covered since there were eight of them and one of Maki. The downside was that none of them communicated with each other, which resulted in more than a few crashes as two tried to chase Maki from two directions. The two would collide and Maki would skip away, unhurt.

Maki giggled as she caused yet another crash, this time between Eri and Nozomi. The two third years had been approaching from both sides so she simply ducked and rolled as they tried to catch her. They bonked their heads on each other as Maki scurried away. She looked over her shoulder as she ran. Even if she didn't look like she cared about the well-being of her baby-sitters, she still wanted to make sure that they were okay. She ran straight into Honoka's arms and felt the limbs lock her in place.

"I got her!" Honoka announced. Maki pouted at having been caught after evading the teens for so long. The ginger flicked her lightly on the forehead, enough to sting, but not hard enough to hurt for a long time.

"Now that we've finally caught this rascal, time to give her a bath. We could probably use one ourselves." Nozomi suggested. Seeing as they were all sweaty and dirty from their constant running and colliding, the other teens agreed.

"What does Maki-chan think about it?" Hanayo asked, squatting down to Maki's eye level. The girl glanced her way and nodded, giving her assent to the mixed bathing. Apparently, now that she had been caught again, she had decided against giving her care-takers any more trouble. The girls grabbed their clothing and had a maid show them the way to the bath since Maki had forgotten where the larger bathroom was.

"Whoa…" Honoka gasped. She had been the first to enter the bath and was by default, the first to see the entire magnificence of the large bath area.

"This is big nya!" Rin gasped, skipping past Honoka to explore the place.

"I can take a shower by myself!" Maki protested as Nozomi pulled the red-head towards the shower. Her protest only earned her a flick on her forehead as the spiritual girl was set on her self-appointed task.

"She goes from quiet to hyper to quiet to stubborn." Umi sighed. The bluenette surveyed the area from next to Honoka before heading to the bath. All of the Muse members soaked in the bath for half an hour before heading back to their assigned room. Which was were all hell broke loose again.

All of the futons were set up already for them, arranged in a circle so that they were all in hearing distance of each other. The only thing keeping them from going to sleep was the red-haired devil's child refusing to go to sleep.

"It's like she has two switches and only she can control them. Stubborn and quiet." Nico commented, frowning as she applied her facial care.

"Well, she is a child right now." Kotori said, trying to reason with her senior.

"Maybe she'll listen to Honoka-chan?" Hanayo asked. They stared at Honoka, who shrugged.

"I can try." Honoka said. "No guarantee though."

Maki hid under a low table that she knew none of the others would be able to fit under, and stayed far enough from the sides that she was in no danger of being pulled out. It hadn't occurred to any person in the room that they could simply lift the table and someone would be able to get a hold of the red-head.

"Maki-chan?" Honoka peered in, having to almost completely flatten herself on the floor to look in.

"I'm not sleepy!" Maki announced. The ginger sighed, wondering about the chances of Maki actually listening to her.

"Is it okay if everyone goes to sleep though? You can stay up by yourself if you want." Honoka offered, ignoring the protests from the other girls.

"Eh?" The red-head's eyes widened. She would be alone if she stayed up and she didn't want that. Honoka could see that her attempt at reverse psychology worked. She stood up and walked away, motioning for everyone else to get into their beds.

"W-wait!" Maki crawled out from under the table. "I-If everyone's going to sleep then I will too…"

* * *

**A/N: This took a lot longer to write than I thought… Oh well, see you later!**


	4. Chapter 4

**First update in months for this story!**

**Forgot what my OCs were like so I'm probably going to stop using all of them...**

**Don't own what I don't own.**

* * *

"Hey...doesn't she look a little bit younger than she did yesterday?" Niko asked, poking the child's cheeks. Maki still slept quietly, which surprised them considering the fact that the girl went to sleep earlier than her appointed caretakers.

"A little bit…" Umi admitted, handing a towel to Niko, which the black-haired girl took-though she looked confused about it.

"What's this for?" She asked.

"Wiping off your face. You don't want to scare her when she wakes up." Niko grumbled a bit but headed off in search of the bathroom to clean up, seeing no point in causing an argument.

"Hey, what should we do?" Rin asked worriedly. "I mean, Maki-chan's mom is still working...and there's no sign of her dad nya."

"W-What if Maki-chan forgets who we are again?" They all stared at Hanayo-minus Niko, who was still in the bathroom-prompting her to continue. "You know, she forgot everything beyond being five yesterday. If she became younger-even by a little-do you think she'd remember what we did?"

"Only one way to find out…" Honoka said grimly. She took a hold of Maki's tiny shoulder and gently shook the girl, ignoring the silent protests of her group members. Maki would have woken up eventually anyway, so it wasn't like she was doing something horrible by waking the child. Maki sat up in the futon and yawned widely.

"Who awe you?" She mumbled, blearily rubbing her eyes. Then the child seemed to realize she was surrounded by strangers and she froze, paling visibly. "Where's Mama?!" She demanded, trying to appear tough by crossing her arms and scowling but Honoka could clearly see the fear and confusion poorly hidden behind the facade.

"Oh, she's up." Niko walked back in at what may have been the worst possible time. She had not found the bathroom and returned despite the fact that her face was still covered with her beauty treatment. Maki screamed and fainted, leading to even more confusion.

"Someone's going to get punished…" Nozomi smirked, making a grasping motion with her hands.

Niko lay facedown on her futon, groaning from the pain, as the rest of the teens tried to figure out their next plan of action. Maki was probably going to wake up soon, and it would probably do better to have her in the arms of someone looked capable of being protective.

"Um...I'm not sure this is going to work…" Eri said, slightly happy that the others had viewed her in such a light to let her be in charge of Maki for the time being.

"Nonsense, Eri-chan is the most adult-like out of all of us." Kotori said. Eri sat against one wall, and the rest of the girls were on the other side of the room. Niko lay in the center, unable to move. They were doing their best to avoid having Maki freak out again over being surrounded by strangers while staying in the same room so they wouldn't get lost. Maki had been their guide yesterday, though they didn't know how much the four-year-old knew about her own home.

"Nn…" Maki was stirring and they all drew deep breaths, feeling as if the slightest sound would alert the child to their presence. Eri held Maki out at arm's length so the child could see her fully without feeling threatened, which seemed to work; Maki wasn't trying to get away or anything. She was just staring at Eri in a sort of curious fear, running the fight or flight response pattern in her mind.

"Good morning." Eri smiled warmly, not quite sure what else she could have done given her present situation.

"G-Good morning." Maki responded warily, dipping her head in a sort-of bow of politeness, though she kept her eyes trained on Eri. "Where's Mama?"

Eri had to come up with a lie, and quickly. But it would have to be convincing enough, because even four year old Maki seemed intelligent enough to recognize a lie if it was obvious enough. "Y-Your mom had a...late night emergency she had to attend to at the hospital! T-That's why I'm here-to take care of you before she returns!"

"Eh~" Maki sounded like she didn't believe the lie but Eri's mind had stopped working after she finished her sentence. "Okay, I guess that makes sense." Now Eri was surprised; Maki had actually bought the lie?! "Mama and Papa are both always like that. So what's your name?"

This kid did not waste sentences. "Ayase Eri."

Maki nodded. "Okay, Ayase-san. Who are those dorks over there?" She jabbed a finger at the gathering that was grouped together on the other side of the room. "I knew you were there from the beginning." She turned her neck to face the teens, smirking deviously.

"T-They're my friends...we're all here to take care of you…" Eri said weakly, knowing that the authority resided with Maki, not with any of them. The five-year-old version may have been easy-going and hyperactive, but none of her actions prepared her for the cold and calculating potential terror that was Maki's four year old self. But Eri knew her psychology and assumed that at this point in her life, Maki didn't see a lot of her parents-from her earlier sentence-and erected a barrier that would prevent any others from taking the place of her mother and father. When Maki was five though, they must have spent more time at home and interacted with each other, leading to the barrier lowering. It was hard to tell what was Maki's real personality with all this conflicting emotion and energy.

"Hm." Was all Maki had in response to this new information. "Okay. So...breakfast. Where is it?"

"Oh gods you sound so spoiled." Niko muttered. finally getting up from the futon. She walked over to Eri and Maki. "Hand her over, Eri."

"What are you going to do?" Eri asked.

"I have younger siblings. This will only help, not hurt." With no argument or comeback, Eri handed Maki over to Niko, the child struggling during the process.

"Put me down!" Maki demanded, slapping Niko with the back of her hand. Niko ignored the slight pain and went out into the hallway, shutting the door behind her. And silence fell as the girls still inside the room decided to trust Niko's judgement, only hoping that their friend didn't go too far.

* * *

**This story's going...somewhere...not sure where but it's going somewhere...I'll figure it out when I get there.**

**Oh, and I revised my ending for Favors so...uh..sorry to remind you guys..but I'd appreciate it if you check it out...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Due to several unforseen circumstances, the path that this story will be taking has finally been decided.**

**I deeply apologize to *name has been censored for privacy purposes* but again, this story's path has been decided. I'm not backing away since I finally have a plot for Child's Play to follow.**

**Warning: The humor tag's probably gonna go away soon.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Love Live.**

* * *

Unable to take the silence, Kotori started folding the futons they had borrowed and putting them neatly away in the closet. Umi saw what she was doing and began to do her part to help as well; the two of them working together to get the job done faster. Honoka began to pace again, starting at where Rin was sitting and walking to Nozomi before turning around to head back to Rin. She glanced at the door worriedly, wondering what was taking Niko so long. Just as the thought train was about to leave her mind, the door opened. Niko walked in, empty-handed and wide-eyed. Her cheeks had small red prints on them and her clothes were scratched.

"S-Sorry…" She said slowly, wincing since just moving her mouth hurt. "She kicked my butt and ran off."

"This is bad! We have to find her!" Honoka shouted immediately, about to dash off on her own.

"Wait, Honoka!" Eri grabbed a hold of the leader's arm, forcing her to stay still. "This is a huge mansion. If we get separated, it wouldn't do good." Honoka jerked her arm away from the blonde's grip.

"She's a little kid. What if she gets in an accident?" Honoka retorted. She just knew that she had to find Maki before something happened to the little girl. "Plus we all have phones and know the general location of the exit."

"She's right, Eri-chi." Nozomi spoke up, her tone serious for the first time in a while. "I sense that if we don't find Maki-chan, something bad will happen." Eri sighed, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to argue with Nozomi no matter what the situation.

"Very well. But keep your phones out." Eri said, resigning herself to the new mission that they all had to undertake alone.

The group of eight walked together until they reached the first intersection, which split off into three ways, not counting the one they had just come from. Deciding to split up based on years for the moment, the first years took the left hallway, the third years took the right, and the second years continued going straight. The three groups split up again at the next intersections that they respectively came across, believing in the plan to cover more ground by going solo.

* * *

Honoka went confidently forward through her chosen path, not once looking back in fear. Her hallway continued in a long line without any turn-offs, leading her to wonder how long Maki's mansion actually was. As if responding to her thoughts, she promptly ran into a dead end.

"Huh? But I went in a straight line, and there weren't any turns…" Honoka frowned and turned around. "Maybe if I head back…" She ran into a second dead end, without making any turn offs. "You've got to be kidding me! I just came from this way!" She grumbled to herself, wondering if she had taken a turn without realizing it. Again, she turned away from the wall and walked back, this time finding a hallway leading to her right. "What the hell?!" Honoka slammed her hand against the corner that was formed from the existing hallway and the new hallway, finding that she left a mark on the seemingly tough barrier. She made up her mind and created a deep imprint on the wall with her fists before running down the new hallway offered to her.

* * *

"I didn't want to split up…" Umi muttered to herself as she proceeded down a hallway that was only lit with lamps. She hadn't known how she had gotten to this point but refused to turn around. She felt like there was something or someone watching her every move, but couldn't hear any movement other than her own. The flames danced in their containers as her legs continued to carry her forward. Beneath her, the soft thuds of her slippered feet landing on the carpeted floor changed into sharper, more loud sounds. Umi glanced down and stopped in her tracks. "Where did the carpet go?!" She was staring at a floor paved with stones, and looking up, the lamps had changed into torches. She looked behind her for the first time, fear settling more deeply as she realized that the hallway that she thought she had been in just a few seconds before had vanished completely. Behind her was just more of the stone hallway, lined with the same small torches.

"_So….hungry…." _There were multiple voices, ranging from a high pitched child to the most guttural sounds she had heard in horror movies, all speaking at the same time. The call seemed to come from all around her and she grabbed one of the torches off of the wall, holding it out protectively in front of her. With a shaking hand, she pulled her phone out from the pocket it had been sitting snugly in. There was a faint signal, one that seemed to be getting fainter and fainter the longer she stared at it. She shoved it back in and took off running, not knowing where she was going or what she might have to face, her fear too great for her mouth to voice.

* * *

Kotori tried the door again, opening it and walking through. But no matter how many times she tried to exit, she always found herself entering the kitchen over and over again. And each time she entered the room, the layout was always different.

"This has got to be the weirdest one yet." She admitted, stepping carefully onto the ceiling of the kitchen. The previous renditions of the kitchen had involved the furniture moving around into different positions but this was the first time that the entire kitchen had flipped itself upside down. At least she didn't have to worry about moving too fast and crashing into anything this time, as the only things on the ceiling were the lights and the smoke detectors. For a such a huge house, she was actually surprised at first that there was no one in the kitchen when she walked in. But after seeing the current kitchen she was in, Kotori had to accept that there was something more than the normal happening to the house. She only hoped that the rest of her friends weren't in any dire situations. She checked her phone for any messages, any communication at all, but her signal was fading fast. She typed out a quick message, targeted at every member of Muse, and hoped that it would make it to her friends in time.

* * *

Eri blinked as she found an imprint on the otherwise smooth wall of the hallway. Her phone had gone haywire on her just a few moments earlier, showing nothing but numbers and blackness in place of all her normal apps and information. The imprint was on her right side, and it looked like someone had punched the wall several times to leave such a deep mark. Right across from the imprint was a hallway that she hadn't seen before.

"Maybe someone else came by here and left a trail for me to follow." Eri concluded, nodding to herself as she confidently took the hallway to her left and away from the imprint. She hoped that she could find someone else in this mansion and soon, because being separated was seeming like a horrible idea now that she, and possibly every other member of Muse, was horribly lost in a huge place.

* * *

The sun shone into her eyes, forcing Nozomi to stop and cover her eyes before she got blinded by the radiance. Shifting her face slightly and glancing out from behind her shielding hand, she gazed upwards at the azure sky with only a few clouds marring the view. Stretching out before her was a seemingly endless plain of grass, with a water source far off in the distance.

"Am I...outside?" She shook her head, knowing that it would be impossible for even the Nishikino family to have such a large expanse of land in their backyard in the city of Tokyo. She turned to go back through the hallway she had followed to get to the field, but the only thing behind her was more of the same waving grass, blown along by a wind that came from nowhere, even though the clouds above her weren't moving. She took out her phone, hoping that someone was still able to message everyone. She had one missed call, from an unknown number, but nothing else. Her signal was still strong so she typed up a message and sent it out to the group, hoping that someone would respond. Until then, she had no choice but to wait in the field.

* * *

"Ah, seriously, how did I end up here?!" Niko complained loudly, even though there was no one around to hear her. The walls on both sides were mirrors and no matter how far or how long she ran, she never seemed to move anywhere. Eventually, she took off her cardigan and put it down on the ground, using it as a marker to see how far she could get. She started running, and continued until her stamina began to give out, at which point she slowed to a walk before stopping. "Okay, how far did I get?!" She turned to see if her cardigan was just a pink dot in the distance, like she expected it to be. To her utter horror, her cardigan was exactly as she had left it, a mere few feet away from her current position. She didn't know if she had only been running in place but that was the only answer possible for her to have been running for so long and still only be a few feet away from the item she used as her marker. "Man..if this had been just a normal hall of mirrors, it would have been fun but…" Niko sat on the floor next to her cardigan, staring at her reflection that was staring right back at her. She had an idea and picked up her shed clothing, walking closer to her reflection. She touched the mirror's surface, something she hadn't done before in her hurry to escape the hall, and her hand passed through the reflective glass. "Finally, something is going right!" She walked right through the mirror, feeling something pass through her as she did so. The world behind the mirror was painted black and red, like something in a horror movie. She turned around, wanting to go back to the mansion and the hall she had been trying to escape. Her reflection, now in her place, grinned evilly and dashed at the mirror, shattering the glass. Niko saw the reflection run away through the shattered fragments but couldn't push her way through. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. "I-I can send a message out!" She typed quickly, sending out a plea of help to be saved. She smelled the metallic tang of blood, and feared what was in the darkness behind her.

* * *

Despite the orders given to them earlier, Hanayo and Rin did not separate from each other at the next available turn off. The two were still walking side by side, holding hands as to prevent accidentally getting separated.

"Rin-chan, do you hear that?" Hanayo asked in a quavering voice. Rin nodded, pulling Hanayo closer to her as if to protect her childhood friend. The laughter that had started just as they entered the newest hallway continued to ring in their ears as they walked. Soft and childish, the laughter was eerie as there was no source for the sound around them and yet it seemed to come from all directions at the same time. Rin didn't like it, because it sounded like the owner of the voice was mocking them in their search.

"_Hey...let's play…?"_ A ball came rolling towards them from further down the hall, though the person who started the movement was not even in sight. Rin stopped it with her foot, and kicked it back in the direction it came from. Hanayo heard the laughter change in pitch as the ball came rolling back towards them, now encased in a light blue energy.

"Don't touch it, Rin-chan!" Hanayo shouted, preventing Rin from kicking the ball back a second time. The ball rolled past the two girls, still encased in that blue energy.

"_I said...let's play!"_ The ball came soaring back at them, now lifted into the air by the mysterious energy. Hanayo screamed as Rin pushed her away from the incoming projectile, getting hit by the ball in the process. The ball vanished as it made contact with Rin, taking the first year with it as it disappeared.

"Rin-chan!" Hanayo cried, unable to do much else but watch as Rin was taken away from her. The laughter filled her ears again, laughing at the hopelessness of her being stranded without her childhood friend.

* * *

**Let's see how this turn of events plays over. Ufufu…**

**I'm considering continuing the two college stories that I ended several months ago due to high school situations. But now that I'm free of that, how many of you want those stories to be revived again?**


	6. Chapter 6

**I still don't own Love Live.**

* * *

Eri took a small breather from her constant run through the hallway as her phone vibrated in her pocket.

"Huh?" Eri questioned as she stared at the screen, confused. "Wasn't it broken?" Just a few moments ago, she had been certain that everything on the screen had turned into data and blackness. But now it was back to normal, with a strong signal showing in the top right corner. She had gotten a message from an unknown number and opened it to see what it was.

A lake surrounded by bright green grass, and in the distance, a small figure. Eri couldn't make out who it was and didn't understand why she had been sent such a picture. Using the already open text channel, she decided to ask who the mysterious sender was. The only response she got was a zoomed in picture of the previous 'paradise' setting, zoomed in on the figure sitting in the distance. Long purple hair tied up by scrunchies and emerald eyes, the girl brushed her bangs from her face as she stared at her phone. Eri gasped, tapping on the picture desperately to hopefully grab Nozomi's attention away from the screen in her hands.

"_She can't hear you." _The voice that rang in her eardrums was soft and sweet, like a little girl's whisper. It was a familiar tone, one that she had heard at least one time before. Eri squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force her mind to remember who it was speaking to her. She had only been in contact with one small child recently.

"Maki!" Eri shouted out loud, the name leaving her mouth just as soon as it entered her mind.

"_Eri? Where am- No, it's coming! I'll help if I can but it-"_ A hole opened below Eri's feet and she fell through the previously solid floor. Her last coherent thought was that the voice spoke with the teenaged Maki's voice, not her child version. It meant something, but that something, Eri couldn't grasp as she fell down through a azure sky headed straight for the green below her. And she feared that it wouldn't be a soft landing.

* * *

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Nozomi started as the screaming was registered by her mind. Automatically, she looked up to see Eri free-falling from the sky, where there had been no indication of anyone appearing moments before.

"Eri-chi!" Nozomi shouted, running towards where Eri seemed to be landing in a few moments. However, she tripped and fell to the ground herself, getting startled when she got bounced a few times before settling down. The ground, while it felt solid, was more like a rubbery, elastic substance that would sting a little on impact but wouldn't kill someone. After this small discovery, Nozomi was quite content to sit back down and watch Eri fall.

The blonde ceased screaming as the ground came nearer and nearer until she hit it, causing the dirt to cave in itself as it flung her back out into the air with the force she had upon hitting the ground. Eri's stunned face was priceless as she proceeded to bounce a few more times until her momentum slowed and she sat on the grass without any injuries. Only then did Nozomi get up and walk over to where her best friend sat on the greenery, still looking at the ground with a surprised expression.

"So what brings you here, Eri-chi?" Nozomi asked, patting the other third year on her back and smiling, even though she was worried about what having the two of them together meant since they split up and went in opposite directions earlier.

"What brought me-" Eri suddenly shot to her feet, startling Nozomi and making her take a few steps back to keep her balance. "It was Maki! She sent me here, though I'm not sure how."

_You called? _Nozomi shot to her feet, staring around at her surroundings. She recognized that voice, just like Eri did. "Maki-chan?" She asked, putting her voice out there as well.

_Nozomi? I sent Eri to you?_ The simple disbelief in Maki's voice, which seemed to be in her mind and everywhere around them at the same time, almost made Nozomi laugh. It was certainly a nice change from the nothingness that she had been in since she stumbled into "paradise".

"A-Anyway…" Eri coughed. "What do you mean, I called?" Nozomi stayed silent, as she was also curious as to how they attracted Maki's attention.

_I can't explain it. I heard my name and followed your voice._ Maki sounded just as puzzled as Nozomi felt about the whole calling process.

"But where are you right now, Maki-chan?" Nozomi asked. If they could discern Maki's location, then if they ever got out of "paradise", they would be able to find Maki quickly and get out of the creepy mansion.

_I don't know. I have to go-it's coming for me again! Give me some time to run before calling me back here!_ Maki's voice faded during the last sentence, as if she really was running away from something. Nozomi and Eri looked at each other, silently agreeing that they would do as Maki asked.

"D'you think any of the others are calling for her?" Nozomi asked, careful not to use Maki's name in her question.

"Even if they were, we would have no way of knowing." Eri said. The two third years stared out at the distant lake, wondering if anyone else would be joining them in "paradise".

* * *

Niko looked to her left and to her right, seeing the line of mirrors continue in both directions. She was still in the black and red world behind the mirror she had entered, but she had the half-formed idea that she could use the mirrors to move around more easily. To test her theory, she went over to one of the unbroken mirrors in the line and touched the surface. It felt like ice was coating her hand as she passed it through the mirror. Satisfied with that small result, Niko retracted her hand, both startled and disgusted as a copy of her hand appeared on the other side of the mirror. The severed limb crawled away using its fingertips, making the whole experience feel more and more like a video game than anything.

"So if I leave the mirror and then come back, a copy of me will be made." Niko stepped away from the mirror, not wanting to create any more clones or partial clones of herself that she had no way of controlling or knowing what they would do. "For now, I guess I can search for everyone through the mirror world." With her new goal in mind and cardigan tucked under her arm, she set off through the black and red landscape. This time, she was certain of her travel, as she turned around to check every once in a while and the hall of mirrors she had come from vanished in the distance.

* * *

Honoka felt her stamina diminishing as she continued to run through the hallway that was literally twisting beneath her. It was turning below her feet as she tried to keep up her current pace, eventually tripping on the floor due to her exhaustion and collapsed. She rolled over onto her back, panting heavily as sweat ran down her face. The coolness of the floor beneath her was the most comforting thing since the mansion turned maze on her. She stared upwards at the ceiling, seeing a weird pattern above her.

"Is that...a carpet?" Honoka wondered aloud, shrugging the idea off since it would be nearly impossible to have a carpet hanging from the ceiling. But she couldn't get herself to move just yet, way too spent from the continuous run so far. A splash of blue on the otherwise red carpet caught her attention, especially since it kept moving, though at a really slow pace. Honoka's eyes narrowed. It wasn't just a splash of blue. It was a person, a girl, carrying a torch as she moved across the carpet, which Honoka just realized was in a stone hallway. She didn't know how she got into a stone hallway but was far more interested in the person below her. "Umi-chan?" She called out, purposely attracting her friend's attention. Umi jumped, which looked really weird since she was on the ceiling and therefore upside-down.

"Honoka? Is that you? Where are you?" Umi was turning in a slow circle, holding her torch out in front to light up areas she hadn't gotten to yet because of the darkness.

"Up here for you, I guess." Honoka pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her neck began to ache as she had to tilt her head backwards to see Umi better. The bluenette glanced up and almost dropped her light in surprise, which would have been bad if the carpet caught fire.

"Honoka, how?" If Honoka was honest with herself, she wouldn't have known how to tell Umi that she was on the ceiling. "How are you on the ceiling?"

"Huh? No, you're on the ceiling, Umi-chan." Honoka responded, as equally confused as her friend.

"Um...I'm pretty sure I'm on the floor." Umi said, pointing to the carpet below her as well as the torches that burned on the walls between them. The flames were pointed in Honoka's direction, and she was pretty sure that flames usually went upwards, not downwards-strange how she failed to notice that until now.

"Oh." As if something was waiting for her to make that realization, the moment Honoka started thinking about how to get back down to the floor her point of gravity flipped on her, sending her plummeting toward the ground near Umi. "AAAAAHHHH!" She screamed. Even with carpet covering it, stone was not a surface she would have chosen to fall down on.

"HONOKA!"

* * *

As reckless as it was to throw fire away onto a surface that could burn, Umi tossed her torch behind her as she threw her body forward. With the right timing, she could put herself between Honoka and the ground below them. It would hurt to be landed upon, but she preferred it over the possibility of Honoka injuring herself in a way that wouldn't fade after a few minutes.

She missed, by a difference of a few centimeters. Umi skidded on the carpet for a few more centimeters before coming to a stop, Honoka crashing down next to her with an audible snap as something broke.

"Honoka!" Umi got to her hands and knees, crawling over to her fallen friend. Honoka whimpered in response, and Umi had to push the girl onto her back to assess the damage caused. She passed her fingers along Honoka's leg, feeling nothing broken there, but pulled back as Honoka flinched when Umi felt her left arm for any breaks.

"My left arm...it's broken isn't it?" Honoka managed a small chuckle, despite the pain she obviously felt. Umi looked around for anything she could use to splint the broken bone to keep it from moving any further. Their immediate area had nothing except the still burning torches, and Umi's abandoned torch, which had split into two as it fell. Far from ideal, but the wood would do the trick to momentarily patch up Honoka's arm. As for the cloth required to tie the splint in place, her own shirt would have to do. She tore two long strips from the bottom of her shirt, leaving her stomach bare but with enough to tie the wood in place. Honoka winced as Umi tried her best to splint the broken bone, knowing better than to complain, given their predicament.

"This is all I can do right now…" Umi said as she helped Honoka to her feet.

"Better than nothing. Thanks, Umi-chan." Honoka responded gratefully, though she was careful not to jar her injured limb too much. "Where are we, anyway?"

"I don't know...I ended up here even though I only followed the one hallway I went in since I separated from you and Kotori."

"Hm...did you try going back? I did that and it got me here, though after a long run." Umi thought about it, and she realized that she had been too scared by the voices that she hadn't even thought about turning around and heading back the way she came.

"I've just been going forward." Umi admitted.

"Okay, then let's trying going backwards." Honoka held out her uninjured hand to Umi. "So, uh, which way?"

"That way." Umi took Honoka's hand and pointed in the direction they needed to take. Honoka nodded and stepped forward, pulling Umi with her.

* * *

As scared as she was, she was beginning to enjoy the feeling of weightlessness as she passed through the walls and furniture with no resistance. She had wanted to tell Hanayo that she hadn't gone anywhere when she first got hit by the ball but it didn't seem like Hanayo could hear her anymore. As if she had become a ghost. Rin was beginning to come to terms with the possibility of her actually being dead already since she was just floating along through solid things, pulled by the spirit ball, when she was dropped from her weightless state into another room.

"Am I still alive nya?" She patted herself down and tried to pass through the closest wall. She bounced off and fell onto the floor again. "I guess so."

"_Of course you're still alive. She wouldn't be very happy if you died."_ Rin looked up to see a small child come into her range of view. As the girl did so, the room lit up, showing Rin what her surroundings looked like. It was a bedroom, though Rin knew it could be any of the bedrooms housed within the large building that was Maki's home. She instead focused on the girl before her.

"Ma-" With inhuman speed, the child was right in front of her, covering her mouth.

"_Don't call her here, stupid girl!"_ Rin growled to be called stupid by the child form of Maki. But still, Rin had to wonder what the child-Maki meant by calling 'her' here. Rin had only been about to call Maki's name because the child was Maki, wasn't she? Or perhaps there was something that Rin didn't know or understand about yet. But for the time being, it was best for Rin to let the girl have her way. She would be able to learn more about what was happening if she let the things continued on its own.

"_You'll behave?"_ Since the girl's hand was still on her mouth, Rin nodded in response. "_Good. Then we can play!"_ The child hummed as she stepped away from Rin.

"What are we playing nya?" Rin asked, still going along with the flow.

"_Oh, I'm not playing with you yet. I have other things to do. She'll keep you company instead."_ The little girl pointed to the door, something Rin hadn't noticed since she was so focused on her captor. It swung inwards as Niko walked in. The door vanished from existence the moment it was closed and the little girl clapped her hands with glee.

"_Have fun!~"_ The child vanished into thin air and Niko lunged forward, catching Rin around her neck. Rin struggled, refusing to give up just yet. This was just another test of the house, probably, but it certainly wasn't her Niko, her friend, who was choking her.

"Maki-chan!" She screamed, beating at the fake Niko's arms with her fists.

_Rin! I'm here!_ Maki's voice came to her in her mind, though she also heard it in the room as well. The fake Niko looked around, apparently she had heard it too, but didn't relent in her grip on Rin's throat. Rin felt Maki, literally felt her, as something possessed her body and sent a jolt of energy at the fake. The fake Niko was thrown backwards, creating a crater as she hit the opposing wall.

"Maki-chan, what was-nya?!" For a brief second, Rin actually saw Maki standing in front of her. The figure shimmered with a ghostly outline but Rin was certain that it was her actual friend this time, not just the child-form.

_I'll get you out of here. My room is not safe anymore._ Rin was taken aback. This was Maki's bedroom?! If she had known earlier, she would have taken the time to snoop around and look at Maki's personal belongings. _I suppose taking you there would be as good a place as any..._

"Maki-chan?" Rin questioned before she became aware of a hole opening underneath her feet. She jumped to the side, not eager to be caught in something else she couldn't understand. She could see something green in the hole, but still didn't want to leave Maki just yet.

_Hurry, Rin._ Maki urged, but as Rin looked around at the room once more, she realized she couldn't see her friend. The fake Niko was starting to get up, and Rin had the choice of either staying to see what the fake would do, or to jump through the hole to see what was waiting for her there. _Rin, I can't keep the portal open much longer! Go!_ Rin trusted Maki and jumped, diving through the portal.

* * *

Hanayo sniffled as she walked through the hallway by herself. Without Rin at her side, the place seemed much darker and more intimidating. Even so, she was still entrusted with the task of finding Maki, just like the other seven who were also searching by themselves. She had to keep searching and hoping that she would find someone else soon.

"Ah, again?!" Her pace quickened as she heard the far-off voice cry in exasperation. As she drew closer to where she thought the sound had come from, she found a door and hesitantly opened it.

"Hanayo-chan?!" Kotori gasped, having turned at the sound of the door opening.

"Kotori-chan!" Hanayo felt so relieved that she had found someone else in the mansion that she didn't even question how she had managed to run into her senior despite the fact that they took different paths.

"Stay there! Keep the door open!" Kotori commanded so suddenly that Hanayo kept her hand on the door, holding it open as the ash-brunette dashed towards the opening. Hanayo swore afterwards that she heard something shatter as Kotori exited the kitchen, as that was the room she had been in, but it didn't matter at the moment.

"What were you doing in there, Kotori-chan?" Hanayo asked, shutting the door as soon as Kotori had exited.

"I was stuck in the kitchen, Hanayo-chan! I tried to get out so many times but I kept walking back in there! You saved me!" Kotori wrapped Hanayo in a hug that lasted a bit longer than was comfortable for the first year but she endured it, so grateful she was to have company again.

"So you haven't found Maki-chan either then?" Hanayo asked.

_That was close. Thanks for calling me._ Maki's voice filled the hallway, replacing the laughter that Hanayo had heard earlier. Still, it was a disembodied voice that made both girls jump in fright.

"Maki-chan...are you here?" Kotori asked, glancing around just in case the first year was present, but just that they couldn't see her.

_Kind of? Nozomi asked me the same thing, but I honestly don't know where I am._

"Wait, you saw Nozomi-chan?!" Hanayo asked. "Have you seen Rin-chan?! She was taken away by something!"

_She's safe. I sent her to where Eri and Nozomi are._ Hanayo felt relieved again, knowing that Rin was safe.

"What about Umi-chan and Honoka-chan? And Niko-chan?" Kotori asked, making Hanayo feel guilty that she had only asked about Rin.

_I don't know where any of them are. They haven't called me yet._ Kotori deflated slightly. _If you want, I can send you to the others in their safe place._

"I'll...I'll keep looking for now." Hanayo decided. She wanted to be brave for once. "I'll find the ones you haven't found yet, Maki-chan. And then we'll all go to the safe place." Kotori nodded, agreeing with the first year's sentiment.

_I'll help if I can. See you, Hanayo, Kotori._

"_I've got you now, my precious Maki-chan~" _The temperature of the hallway seemed to drop several degrees as the hauntingly childish voice took the place of Maki's more mature tone. Hanayo reacted according to instinct, not to any logical decision made by her mind. She grabbed Kotori's hand and ran away, heading back the way she had come to escape.

* * *

**Review Responses (Bet you guys thought I forgot XD)**

Msmusicful: My current plan is to update (and complete) as many stories as I can before college starts. I'm really far behind though~ XP

ch3n: I should probably add to the description then, thanks for reminding me. And yes, I am well aware that title of this fanfic is the same as a horror story. Maybe this fanfiction was destined to go down a dark route all along.

antonio18: It's a bit scary for all of them at the moment, though I assure you that both Rin and Niko are quite safe compared to some others. *cough* The overall safety of the mansion itself is a bit questionable though.

* * *

**Warning (Yeah, more warnings!)**

This story is completely fictional and any similarities to any real life events is completely fictional.

**Real Warning: This fanfiction will have several different endings. Yes, like a horror RPG, which is why the addition of "character deaths" had to be included in the summary. You have my promise that there will be a happy ending, along with several not-so-happy ones, but bear with me for now. Love you guys. Review. Don't get stuck in mansions that turn weird on you. lol, that rhymed.**

**'nuff rambling. See you next chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**For the first time in this story so far, we can see what's happening from Maki's side. Kind of. It doesn't really make sense.**

**Don't own Love Live.**

* * *

"_Hey, Maki-chan, let's play~"_ Maki ran, pursued by the chilling voice of her child self. "_You always wanted someone to play with, didn't you? Even though your mama kept you busy with other, more interesting things."_ It kept following her, no matter where she ran. Even when she lost sight of it behind her, she continued to hear its voice.

_Someone please call me!_ She pleaded with her mind. She didn't have physical form anymore, that thing had robbed her of her body. The only thing stopping it from hunting down and killing her friends for looking for her was her own interference. Her home was a mess due to it, but Maki had learned-by complete accident-that she was able to create portals for others as well as hear her name as long as one of her friends was calling for her. During the time before she had been found by Honoka, she remembered feeling nothing but fear as the creature tried to devour her soul. It was the same fear that coursed through her now, as she fled before the thing that had turned her into a helpless child.

"_Give yourself up to me, and your friends will be spared~"_ The thing said in a sing-song tone of voice, one that Maki couldn't trust. If she got devoured, there would be no one getting in the way to stop the creature from killing the rest of her friends. Maki ran-or was it floated, in her case?-faster, trying to put more distance between herself and her body. The others couldn't see it, she knew Rin couldn't, but her child body emitted a dark aura. That was the creature's magic, holding her body hostage in a child form while preventing Maki from returning to it.

_I don't believe you!_ Maki shouted, or at least tried to. And yet, she kept getting more and more fatigued the more she tried to evade capture. _Someone...anyone...please...call me…_

"_Give yourself over willingly, or burn up your soul to fuel this monster house for me. Either way, I will still claim the debt owed to me."_ Her child body laughed, her face twisted into a sickening grimace by the monster controlling it.

_Honoka...please!_ Even though she never tried to call out to any of her friends before, since she assumed that the calling was one way due to her being a "ghost" at the moment, she had to believe that her voice would reach.

* * *

"_Burn up."_ Umi shrieked as the voice echoed over them, bringing a chilling feeling along with it. Honoka glanced rapidly around their immediate range of vision, using the burning torch in her uninjured hand to light up more of their surroundings. She had been glad that it was her left arm that broke instead of her right hand since she was right-handed anyway.

_Honoka...please!_ The ginger blinked and sharply looked at Umi to see if the bluenette had heard the voice, or if it was Umi who had said the line. But her childhood friend was also looking around now, having heard the second voice just like Honoka had.

"Maki-chan!" Honoka shouted. She would have cupped her hands around her mouth to carry the sound further if not for the fact that one arm wouldn't move without causing blinding pain and the other carried a burning flame.

"Honoka, what are you doing?!" Umi cried, fearing the worst now that they had basically announced their position to anything close by.

_You heard me!_ Something passed through Honoka, leaving a warm feeling in its place. _You heard me, Honoka!_

"Maki-chan, it's really you, right?" Honoka gasped, looking at a random point in space, hoping that Maki got her intent.

_Yeah! I'll send you to everyone else, okay?_

"Honoka, don't trust her!" Niko ran up out of the darkness, breathing heavily. The pigtailed girl gasped for breath as she paused before Honoka and Umi.

"Niko-chan, what happened to you?!" Honoka cried, bending down to pat the other girl comfortingly on her back.

_That's not Niko-chan!_ Honoka ignored Maki's warning cry. She didn't know what Maki was talking about-of course the person panting in front of her was Niko. There was no one else in the mansion that it could be. She touched Niko and was jolted by something like static electricity, only probably ten times stronger. Niko winced as well, leading Honoka to believe that both of them had felt the jolt that came from being in contact with each other.

"Honoka, we can't trust anyone but ourselves right now." Niko said. "Who would you trust, me or some shade pretending to be Maki-chan?"

_Honoka, it's me! She's-it's lying!_ Honoka struggled to find the truth in the conflicting messages sent from both arguers. Umi was of no help at the moment, having passed out at Maki's first message. She had to decide whether to trust Maki or Niko, both of whom were her trusted friends. But, she couldn't argue with Niko's logic. Niko was there, in front of them, and Maki was only there in voice. She had felt the warmth earlier when something, possibly Maki, had passed through her, but now it was chilling quickly. Not to mention the jolt she had felt when trying to comfort Niko.

"You're not Maki-chan." Honoka decided, feeling the temperature of the hallway drop even more and now felt certain that she had made the right judgement.

_B-But Honoka…_

"I can't even see you! How can you possibly be the Maki-chan I know?!" Honoka shouted, driving the spirit away, even though she couldn't see it.

"_See? You can't escape like this…"_ The temperature of the hallway plunged even more, forcing Honoka to drop and cover herself from the cold.

_That's not Niko-chan! Honoka, I'm telling the truth!_

"Enough! Leave already! If you really want to protect me, then leave! It's too cold!" Honoka shouted angrily.

_...Honoka…_ The cold feeling vanished and she could stand again.

"She tried to kill me earlier, you know." Niko said off-handedly. Honoka didn't look at Niko yet; she bent down to try and get Umi onto her back, despite her broken arm. "Threw me against a wall and then left me. For dead, probably." Honoka said nothing, but pressed forward, continuing the way they had came before getting interrupted by the supernatural phenomenon. Niko fell into step at Honoka's side, with the obvious intent of sticking together with the other two until they found the rest of their group. Honoka did not object, her mind focused on the sole job of carrying Umi until they reached their destination.

* * *

"NYAAAAAA?!" Rin free-fell towards a blue, shimmering surface. She had trusted Maki, and while it may have gotten her away from the Niko double, she didn't think that the portal would dump her in the sky. She shut her eyes, knowing that pain would come the moment she flopped into the water. From such a high distance, hitting the water would be equivalent to hitting concrete, and it would hurt badly. If only she was a mermaid, or something, then she would be able to survive by diving into the deep water! With a shock, she realized that her body was changing on her again. She took the chance to glance up at the lower half of her body and found that her legs had fused into a scaly fish tail. Fins sprouted on her arms, near her elbows and she started struggling to breathe. She hurtled towards the lake, diving in easily and breathing at last, extracting oxygen from the water around her. Rin surfaced and swam towards the shore and willed herself to breathe oxygen from the air instead.

"That's so weird nya…" Rin gasped, her throat now working again. "It's happening to me 'cos I willed it, right?" She looked back at her bottom half, watching the tail fin splash water as it flopped up and down.

"Rin-chan!" She perked up at hearing her name called. Far away stood Nozomi and Eri, she recognized them more easily now that she was at their height, or rather, slightly below it. She didn't understand why they weren't coming closer though.

"Nozomi-chan! Eri-chan!" Rin tried to get up but only got so far before she flopped back down on the sandy shore of the lake. Her tail wouldn't get purchase on land, and she slipped back into the water to prevent it from drying out.

"We can't come any closer, Rin!" She heard Eri shout, and was confused. Perhaps it was because they believed that they couldn't walk any closer, much how like she wished for a way to survive her fall, though she hadn't expected to actually turn into a mermaid.

"Believe you can nya!" Rin shouted. "I can't get up, so you have to come to me nya!" Of course, Rin could have gotten up if she had focused on her tail becoming legs again, but she didn't really want to give up the ability to swim with ease yet.

* * *

"She can't get up." Eri repeated, fearing the worst.

"Hitting the water surface would be like hitting concrete, or something else equally hard, right?" Nozomi questioned, echoing Eri's fears. The blonde nodded and stepped forward, passing the invisible barrier that had been blocking their way before. Nozomi tried to do the same but stayed in place instead of moving like Eri. "How did you do that?"

"I don't know. I just wanted to get to Rin." Eri admitted, now standing on the other side of the barrier. "Don't think about being blocked." Nozomi was a bit puzzled by this revelation but did as Eri said to walk forward until she was next to Eri.

"I think I get it. Because I was back there, I assumed that the lake in the distance was supposed to be something I could never reach and that's why the block was made. And when I told you, you thought the same. But now there is no block." Nozomi smiled. "We can go to the lake!"

"Let's go get Rin." Eri said, acknowledging Nozomi's remark with a nod.

As the two approached the lake, they heard a great splashing sound as water sprayed into the sky from the lake's surface.

"Told you you'd make it nya!" Rin grinned cheekily. Eri and Nozomi saw and were forced to admit that they were not hallucinating Rin's fish tail.

"So you figured out that you could change things by thinking and not thinking about it?" Nozomi asked, bending down next to Rin to poke at the tail. Rin nodded, rolling away from Nozomi and deeper into the water. The first year slipped off into the depths of the lake before leaping out with a huge splash.

"It's fun! I didn't want to change back!" Rin shouted, her face alight with glee as she dove back in.

"Hey, Nozomi. We could make a way out of this place." Eri realized, turning to her fellow third year only to realize that Nozomi had somehow given herself wings. For what reason, Eri couldn't discern but the spiritual girl took off into the air, quickly falling as simply giving herself wings didn't account for the much greater mass she had compared to birds.

"True." Nozomi agreed. Apparently she had been listening after all, even as the wings disappeared from view.

"We can't leave. Maki-chan said this was a safe place nya." Rin argued.

_Not anymore._ As per usual now, Maki's presence came as soon as her name was called. _It's nearly got me. I faltered slightly. I'm sorry._

"We have to get to the others, Maki. Can you lead us close to them at least?" Eri asked.

_I-I'll try. But Honoka…_ Maki fell silent. _No, I'll get you to them anyway._ A portal opened up nearby, on the part of the shore where sand met dirt. _Go through there._ Eri looked through and saw a dark hallway made of stone.

"Rin-chan, we have to go now." Nozomi commanded, tugging what she could grab of Rin from the water.

"Okay, okay nya!" Rin kicked out with her legs, pushing herself fully onto the shore.

Eri took both Nozomi and Rin by their hands and the three plunged into the portal.

* * *

Niko ran towards a distant light, the first light she had seen in the otherwise red and black space. It was another mirror, reflecting the lamp light of a dim hallway. She paused just out of range of the reflective glass, not wanting to go through if there was no one there to group up with. She turned away from the mirror certain that it was also a dud, until she caught the faintest glimpse of gray from the corner of her eye.

"Kotori!" Niko gasped, throwing herself through the mirror. She would only create a duplicate if she went back in, but knew that she wouldn't go back in now that she was out. Kotori turned to her, her mouth dropping with surprise. Hanayo was there as well, Niko realized.

"Niko-chan! Where did you come from?!" Kotori asked.

"The mirror!" Niko pointed at the point she had come from, before realizing that there was no mirror there for her to have gone through. Had she just wanted to find someone so much that the world led her to some of her group mates without her realizing it? No wonder the mirror she had exited through had such a bright light. "Never mind, it's not important. We need to regroup, or else it could end badly."

"What makes you say that?" Hanayo asked in a whisper.

"I don't know. That's just what I feel."

* * *

**Review Responses**

ch3n: I am sorry to say that most of your guesses were not "spot-on", nor am I going to change my story even if they were. Also, what HonoUmi and RinMaki vibes?

Msmusicful: I've been out of high school for like two weeks now but I still miss it.

Jenknist: I'm glad you do. I was a bit worried that people wouldn't like it since I changed the story from humor to horror.


	8. Chapter 8

**Will the identity of the person or thing responsible for the horror in the mansion finally be revealed? Will the child form of Maki explain her existence? Will Muse be able to keep pushing through?**

**Will the author stop asking random questions and just get on with the story? (:P)**

**I don't own Love Live.**

* * *

_I can't run anymore…Everyone…I'm sorry…_ Dark clawed hands appeared in the air and scooped up the exhausted girl in its grip. Cackling filled the house, ringing through the halls with triumphant laughter. The magic used to confuse and mislead the girls in the mansion had taken its toll on Maki's remaining energy.  
_"It's okay, Maki-chan."_ The child appeared just in front of Maki's tired eyes, as if transported by magic. Maybe she was being moved by magic, controlled as her body was by the demon that had claimed her. _"It'll all be over soon, and you can rest then."_  
_No…It won't be rest…I have to…_ Maki passed out, her eyelids closing as she fell against the cold surface of the demon's shadowy hands.  
_"She did something."_ The child stood up, listening to a language that had no place in the human world. _"Understood."_ The little girl looked down at Maki, then turned on the spot and vanished. The shadows rose around the demonic hands and claimed their prize at last.

* * *

The hallway of stone became much more lively with the appearance of three more girls. Rin, Nozomi, and Eri toppled through the wall right in front of Honoka. The ginger was still partially carrying Umi; the bluenette beginning to wake up at the sounds of more people.  
"Eri-chan, Nozomi-chan! And Rin-chan too!" Honoka gasped, wanting to greet them with a hug each but unable to due to her burden. "This place is really weird, huh?" She walked around the girls to get a look at the portal, but it vanished just before she reached it.  
"Ah! It's you!" Rin gasped, pointing at Niko. She scrambled away from the black-haired third year, falling over in her hurry to get away. Honoka glanced from Rin to Niko, Maki's warning once again playing in her head. For some reason that none of the others understood, Rin was afraid of Niko, if the girl there was even Niko.  
"This way!" A new voice cut through the general confusion.  
"How can you be sure, Hanayo-chan?!" The second voice sounded short of breath; the pounding of footsteps came closer and closer.  
"I can feel it! Maki-chan is helping us!" Honoka's eyes widened at the invocation of Maki's name. Hanayo, that had to be Hanayo, trusted Maki more than she did, and she was the person who loved Maki the most. Guilt wasn't enough to cover how horrible she felt upon this revelation.  
"Kotori!" It looked like Umi was awake as Kotori came into view, Hanayo and Niko slightly behind her. Even though it had sounded like Hanayo was in front, the first year's stamina was still worse than her seniors.  
"Umi-chan! Everyone! You're safe!" Kotori shouted, throwing herself into Umi's arms and knocking the bluenette to the ground in the process.  
"Ara? There are two Niko-chi's." Nozomi pointed out. The Niko that had been with Umi and Honoka stayed silent, her eyes shadowed by her bangs.  
"Ah! It's my reflection!" Niko shouted from her place beside Hanayo, pointing an accusing finger at the other Niko.  
"How can you tell?" The Niko closer to Honoka smirked. "Honoka trusted me, which makes you a fake." Honoka didn't need any reminding about her choosing Niko, who was possibly a fake, over Maki. The ginger had curled into a small ball on the side, which hadn't gone unnoticed by the others.

"Rin knows nya!" Rin clambered back over to the two arguing Niko's. "Niko-chan wouldn't try to kill Rin! So that one is the fake!" She pointed at the second Niko who had spoken. Meanwhile, Eri patted Honoka awkwardly, somehow getting a vibe that Honoka felt guilty about something.  
"That's no real proof." Niko said, crossing her arms.  
_"Enough, Niko-chan."_ A small child stepped into their midst and the fake Niko fell to her knees. 'Maki' stared around at the teenagers, a small smile on her face. Honoka looked up at her voice and stared wildly at the child. She lunged towards the red-haired girl, picking her up and holding her against the wall.  
"Where's Maki-chan?!" Honoka cried, angrily pushing her hand tighter against the child's throat. Even though the girl looked like she was in great pain, 'Maki' smiled sinisterly. It made Honoka even more angry and she would have pushed even harder if the fake Niko hadn't gotten in her way. The reflective copy of her friend shoved her aside with even more force than she would have thought possible by Niko.  
_"You should know your place better."_ The girl rubbed her throat, wincing a bit. _"This is your precious Maki-chan's body after all. Niko-chan, you may go."_ The fake Niko glared at each of them in turn before disappearing before their eyes. It was almost like she had been a trick of the light, since she had never actually existed. _"You should give up. Go home, and leave Maki to me."_  
"I won't leave her!" Honoka shouted, wanting to lunge forward again but knowing that it was Maki's body, she couldn't bring herself to hurt 'Maki' again.  
_"Honestly, if that girl hadn't interfered, you wouldn't all be in here. You want to get out right? I can guide you to the exit."_  
"We're with Honoka. We won't leave a friend behind." Umi said, stepping up beside Honoka. The ginger looked at her, grateful for the support.  
_"Do you even know why this is all happening?!"_ 'Maki' shouted, her tiny hands clenched into fists. _"You don't! So get yourselves out of this before it's too late!"_ Honoka's anger slipped away as the eight of them watched the little girl. 'Maki' shook, clear tears sliding down her cheeks, and Honoka felt an urge to hold the child close and tell her that everything would be okay. Even if this was the person responsible for everything that happened so far, which Honoka felt that she wasn't.  
"Don't worry, Maki-chan. We'll reunite." Honoka said with a smile, petting the girl on her head.  
_"You don't get it! He'll consume you all if you stay any longer!"_  
"I get it. You were trying to protect us too, weren't you?" 'Maki' flinched, her eyes widening. "Scaring us so that we'd leave when you told us to. Am I wrong?" The girl shook her head slightly, gripping the hem of her jacket nervously.  
"But you let that fake Niko-chan try to kill me nya!" Rin protested, finding fault with Honoka's argument.  
_"She couldn't have. She was just a reflection, incapable of hurting anyone if they didn't believe she could."_  
"And what about the times where you chased Maki-chan away?" Kotori brought up, remembering the chilling feeling she had felt before, when she had heard the child voice just after meeting up with Hanayo.  
_"She wasn't listening to reason! I can't be saved anymore!"_ 'Maki' was on the verge of tears again, pleading desperately. _"Anyway, just leave! If you listen, he'd leave you alone!"_  
"I'm not leaving. I'll save you." Honoka said, and glanced back at the rest of Muse.  
"Muse is not Muse without its ninth member." Nozomi said, bringing everyone's priority onto saving their friend.

_"Ah, jeez! First Maki-chan, and now you guys?! None of you ever listen to logic!"  
_"Like it's logical to be schooled on logic by a five…wait, how old are you again?" This very important question was asked by Niko, and was consequently ignored by everyone else.  
"Take us to where we need to go. We'll save you."  
_"Idiots."_ 'Maki' opened a portal, one that showed only darkness. _"I'm not gonna stop you from killing yourselves. I did warn you."_  
"We won't die." Honoka didn't know where this confidence came from, considering her useless injured arm, but she walked towards the portal. "Now, let's go get Maki-chan back!"

* * *

**Short chapter is short.**

**Review Responses**

ch3n: Bad feelings lead to bad endings. Jk, there's a good ending. :D

**The next few chapters will be variations of different endings for this story. Look forward to it! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Warning: Character death ahead. And lots of Caps Lock.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Love Live.**

* * *

The same chill that pervaded the whole of the haunted and warped mansion followed them into the portal. Honoka could feel the rest of her friends cringing and trying to hide behind each other as they stepped hesitantly towards whatever lay beyond the portal. "Hey, everyone." Satisfied that she had their attention, she tried to keep her voice upbeat and confident. "We're just school idols, but our friend is in trouble. This is just like a game. It's time for the boss fight, and the protagonists always win. So…"

"Honoka, we understand. Maki is waiting for us on the other side of this portal. We can't be afraid." Eri interrupted, calming down the more fearful members with her confident aura. Honoka glanced back and grinned, despite the fear she was barely surpressing within her own heart. "Now, lead us to the final fight!" She nodded, and took the final step out of the portal.

An entity many times larger than the girls yawned as the eight of them clustered together out of terror. Behind them, the portal had vanished. There was no way out for them now.

_WELCOME TO MY DIMENSION._ The voice was everywhere, echoing through their minds even as they cowered from the force it had on their bodies. Honoka couldn't tell if the thing was speaking with its mind or with its mouth, if she had even managed to find its face to begin with. Then two white lines appeared on the topmost portion of the creature, followed by a thinner line shaped in a sinister smile. She focused on it, trying to calm down terror that was threatening to overwelm her.

"L-L-L-L-" Her voice wasn't working correctly. Her fear was working against her, telling her what a bad idea it was to try and get Maki from the clutches of whatever-it-was. Her rationality struggled between her wish to retrieve her friend and her wish to run away.

_SUCH PESKY INSECTS. I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO GET RID OF THEM._ The thing turned its head to the side, where 'Maki' materialized. She appeared to be in great pain, her arms trapped to her sides by invisible chains.

"_I tried...to…"_ 'Maki' had trouble speaking, and she couldn't even scream as the creature smacked her with a hand? hoof? Honoka couldn't tell. She watched, horrified, as 'Maki' hit against an invisible wall and fell towards the ground in a slump.

_USELESS CHILD. NO MATTER. YOUR LIFE IS MINE, AND SO ARE YOUR FRIENDS, SINCE YOU COULD NOT SAVE THEM DESPITE MY GENEROUS DECISION TO SPARE THEM SHOULD YOU GET RID OF THEM._ Now the thing's attention was on them. Honoka wasn't sure she heard it right.

"Where's Maki-chan?!" Her voice was still wavering, but she managed to stand straight and face the shadowy creature. "We won't leave without her!" Her arm ached, and she winced.

_IT IS OF NO IMPORTANCE WHETHER OR NOT YOU KNOW WHERE SHE IS. SHE IS MINE NOW, AS PROMISED MANY YEARS AGO._ Its mouth widened and she could hear its derisive laughter echoing as its voice did. She looked back to see how her friends were handling the situation only to find that most of them were cowering in fright. The ones that weren't were frozen in place, pale and mute. The thing gave off an aura of fear, manipulated it so that they were incapable of movement. She barely held it back, her desire for Maki's safety outweighing her panic. _YES, THE PROMISE OF MANY YEARS AGO WILL FINALLY BE FULFILLED AND I SHALL HAVE MY FIRST MEAL AFTER CENTURIES OF STARVATION._

"Not Maki-chan, you won't! I won't let you!" Honoka shouted, tears springing to her eyes as her determined step forward jarred her broken limb. "She's my friend! You can't have her!"

_BE QUIET, INSECT. YOUR LIFE WILL BE SNUFFED AS SOON AS I HAVE FINISHED HERS. AND THEN IT IS THE REST OF YOUR FRIENDS' TURN._ It clenched a fist and swung it upwards. _OR PERHAPS YOU WANT TO END IT NOW?_ Honoka saw her life flash before her eyes as the thing brought its fist down upon her. She shut her eyes, preparing for the worst. From behind her closed eyelids, she still managed to sense the bright flash, followed by the unpleasant smell of something burning.

_I won't let you!_ The voice, clearly Maki's, followed the two stimuli. Honoka slowly lifted her eyelids, then opened them completely in the shock of seeing Maki for the first time since two days ago. Had it only been that short of a time, to include everything from her turning into a child and their subsequent entrapment in this warped dimension? Her form shimmered in a ghostly manner.

"Maki-chan!" Honoka's cry of joy was cut short by the glance Maki shot her. There was undecisiveness in those violet orbs, and Maki bit her lip, a habit that was associated with her trying to make a difficult choice.

"_You know what must happen."_ 'Maki' had somehow gotten up despite still being restricted by the invisible chains. "_It is too strong."_

_YOU DARE GO AGAINST-_

_Honoka...everyone...This is the best I can do. I'm sorry for making you go through all this._ 'Maki' nodded in approval, though her eyes were hidden by the shadow cast by her bangs. Honoka looked between the child form of her friend and the ghostly apparation, not quite making the connection. The floor opened beneath her. Somehow she knew that her friends were falling behind her as well. But all she could focus on were the tears that stained Maki's face. She reached upwards with her good arm. The hole shut itself above her and she gave into the darkness enveloping the eight of them.

* * *

-Several Days Later-

"Thanks for taking care of my arm! Are you sure I don't owe you anything?" Honoka asked, cheerfully testing out her newly casted arm. The older woman smiled gently and shook her head.

"Hey, Honoka!" She turned to wave at Umi with her good arm, then turned back to the woman.

"Thank you again, Dr. Nishikino!" She bowed and ran off to where her friends were waiting just beyond the gated entrance to the large mansion.

"Dr. Nishikino is such a nice person to cast your broken arm free of charge." Eri commented as they walked away from the house. "How did you break it anyway?"

"Ehehe~ I forgot~" Honoka stuck her tongue out in what she thought was a silly manner as Nico sighed.

"Honestly. How can you even forget how you broke your arm?"

"Wait. How are you going to perform in the upcoming song we prepared with that bad arm?" Every member stopped to ponder Umi's question.

"Ah!" Honoka gasped. "I can't!"

"Jeez...We worked so hard to make that song too…" Eri exchanged confused looks with Nozomi.

"Hey...I know Umi-chan wrote the lyrics...but who made the song?" Nozomi asked, the question had popped into her mind after thinking about the song they were going to perform. Her memory was confusingly blank on the song's creator, even though she could clearly remember Umi writing the lyrics.

"I don't remember…" Honoka said, frustrated with her failing memory. First she couldn't remember how she broke her arm, and now she couldn't remember who wrote their song for them. Judging from the confused looks that were starting to appear on the other eight's faces, she realized that none of them knew who had wrote the song for them. "But more importantly, how am I going to perform with this arm?!"

"There's nothing we can do but wait for it to heal. You have two choices: either sit out our next performance or cancel it completely and wait until it heals. Your pick, Honoka." Umi said matter-of-factly, glad to have another topic to think about besides the missing memory. She felt like she should have known who wrote the song, but nothing came to mind.

"Ugh...that's a hard choice, Umi-chan…"

"Well, you have until this weekend to decide what Muse should do. That should be enough time to make up your mind." Eri said. Her attention turned to the two youngest members of their idol group, who had been staring at the mansion the entire time they stopped moving. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing (nya)!" The two of them looked startled to suddenly be the point of focus and started moving down the sidewalk again.

"Oh! I know! I'll pray to the god in the shrine and ask him to heal my arm more quickly!" Honoka said, grinning at what she thought was a pretty good idea.

"That won't work." Umi said flatly. Honoka kept the smile on her face regardless, masking the puzzlement she felt over not remembering who had made the tune for their song. But she still had a duty to do as a school idol, so she shouldn't let it pull her down. She was sure that they would figure out who the person was the next time they needed a song done. Until then, she was content with figuring out how to practice with her broken arm, since there was no way she would let the rest of Muse go on stage without her.

* * *

**That moment when you just write and write and write and then realize you have no idea where you're going with it but know that you want to end it a certain way yet you still have no idea how you're going to end it...yeah...**

**BAD END: Lost from the World**


	10. Chapter 10

**More writing nonstop with no real goal in mind.**

**Warning: Stuff that doesn't really make sense; Caps Lock; Character Deaths**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Love Live.**

* * *

"Ah!" Rin's gasp stopped them in their tracks just as they were about to enter through the shadowy portal. "I almost forgot nya!"

"Forgot what, Rin-chan?" Hanayo asked, grateful for the distraction from the darkness of the swirling portal. The other members turned to look at the orange-haired girl as well, each with varying degrees of confusion on their faces.

"I turned into a fish!" She said proudly, grinning broadly. Only Eri and Nozomi understood what she meant by that, and the other girls just continued to stare blankly at Rin.

"What she means is that this place lets us use our imagination to our advantage." Eri explained, though the confused stares remained.

"If you can focus on something like this…" A sword appeared in Nozomi's hand, causing Honoka and Umi, who were the closest to her, to back away in surprise. "Well, something like that I guess?" She let go of the weapon and it vanished as soon as it left contact with her hand.

"And we can only change what we're touching or parts of ourselves…right?" Honoka mumbled, slowly absorbing this new information. "Okay. I think we can use this power to save Maki-chan!"

"But how did we get this ability anyway? We're still normal...probably…" Umi muttered, deep in thought.

"It started happening when Maki dumped me into 'paradise'. I was so scared of hitting the ground that I imagined it as a giant trampoline. I bounced right off because of it." Eri recalled, also thinking on the subject.

"No, I don't think so." The blonde looked at her best friend in surprise. "You couldn't have affected the ground since you were so high in the air. But I tripped on my way to save you, and I bounced off the ground too. That must have been the moment it turned into a bouncy platform."

"Standing around trying to figure out when we got this power isn't going to help anyone. Maki-chan's waiting inside the portal for us! We can use it to save her!" Kotori said, reminding the others of what their real task was. More confident now that they had knowledge of something they could do to save Maki, the eight of them stepped through the portal.

Honoka charged towards the shadowy creature; it had to pay for hitting 'Maki' the way it did! She had never used the power Rin, Eri, and Nozomi talked about before coming through the portal but she placed her faith in their words and concentrated. Her imagination went through several possible attacks before settling on electricity. The human body is controlled by tiny electric currents traveling between neurons to the other cells, and she magnified the charge until she could see the sparks flying from her skin. She just had to make contact with the thing…

"Honoka, look out!" She didn't register the incoming attack until it was too late, and she was sent flying the same way it had hit 'Maki' earlier. To make matters worse, she landed on her bad arm and the pain nearly blinded her.

_YOUR RESISTANCE IS POINTLESS. ONCE I CONSUME THE GIRL, IT WILL BE YOUR TURN TO BE EATEN. EVEN THE STRENGTH SHE GAVE YOU WILL BE FOR NAUGHT._ As if to show off its power, it summoned a cage from the ground. The ghostly shape of Maki grabbed at the bars from within, then released them as a flash threw her backwards into the opposing wall. She spoke, but no words formed even though they could see her mouth moving.

"_Break free! We have to save them!"_ 'Maki' stood up, staring right at the transparent half of herself. Honoka couldn't let Maki be eaten by such a disgusting and dark monster, and her friends were still fighting against it. Her arm was the only thing preventing her from focusing fully on the fight, but she could feel the effects of adrenaline kicking in. The sharp pain faded to a throbbing ache. She blocked out what remained of the pain and concentrated on amplifying the power within her to attack.

Each of her friends had chosen their own methods of fighting, even as she had chosen to amplify her inner electricity. Nozomi hung at the back of the group, kneeling with her hands on the ground. Before her was a slowly enlarging pond of water, brought into existence by her concentration. But she could not take her attention off the pond or it would vanish once more. Eri stood besides her, protecting her from any attack with ice shards she created with the water from Nozomi's pond. She just had to brush her hand against the surface and draw the water up with it before freezing it into the weapon she wanted to use. Rin had enveloped herself in a giant cat avatar, which she used to swipe and slash at the thing in an attempt to distract it. Even so, her avatar was still transparent and much smaller than the demon. Hanayo was still fearful but she had somehow gotten a hold of a large rice paddle and was using it to smack the thing with her eyes shut tight. Kotori had also taken the route of an avatar, though it wasn't a small and cute bird as would have been expected. She was in the transparent shell of a hawk, with the powerful beak and talons of the majestic animal. Umi was using water, just as Nozomi was, but doing it with the force of a hurricane rather than waiting passively. She had initially used a bow, but her arrows vanished once they left her grip so she switched to following her name and hitting the thing with all of the ocean's aggressiveness. And Nico was on fire. She was literally on fire as she charged recklessly into the fray, though she didn't seem to be affected by the heat. As Honoka watched, she realized that they had no plan of action, and their attacks were clashing with each other more than they were hitting their target.

With a cracking noise akin to glass breaking, Maki broke out of her cage. _It isn't over yet! They can use their abilities! We'll win!_ She was speaking more to her other half than any of the other eight, and 'Maki' nodded reluctantly. Honoka couldn't sit back and not do anything. Her friends needed her and she charged forward just as recklessly as Nico was, her entire body crackling with electricity. Even though their attacks were missing just as often as they were hitting, she felt as if that they were slowly wearing the thing down. Just like a boss fight, she reminded herself as she dashed away from an incoming attack. As she prepared for another run in, she saw Maki and 'Maki' joining together in the corner of her eye. Feeling re-energized with the knowledge that Maki was free from the thing's grasp, she shouted a battle cry as she ran in.

And her energy dropped all the way down to nothing a few feet away from making contact with the thing to shock it. Honoka felt tired, exhausted even, but it wasn't the contented exhaustion that came from hard work. She felt like she had been exhausting herself for days on end without proper rest. Rin and Kotori's avatars faltered and then disappeared altogether, sending both girls crashing to the ground. Nozomi slumped forward into the pond she had been so carefully creating and Eri fell into a sitting position with a thud. Hanayo's paddle vanished and she fell to the ground, her chest heaving with the sudden tiredness that had enveloped all of them. Umi fell to her hands and knees, her eyes spinning. Nico tripped as the flames died out around her, then collapsed to the ground. _YES, GIVE ME ALL YOUR ENERGY. IF YOU WANT TO BLAME SOMEONE, BLAME THE GIRL WHO GOT YOU TRAPPED IN HERE._

It had Maki in its grasp. The red-head was slumped over in its fist, clearly unconscious. Honoka's throat felt dry. Was it really taking all of her energy? Her mind went blank as her vision turned on its side. Ah. She was lying down now, though she didn't know how she got to that position. She barely registered the motion of the thing throwing what was in its fist into its mouth. _NINE FOR THE PRICE OF ONE. NOT A BAD DEAL. _She became aware of the feeling of being lifted, or was it just her blurring vision that told her the ground was suddenly getting further away? _EVEN WITH HER INTERFERENCE AND GIVING YOU PARTS OF MY ABILITIES WOULDN'T HAVE SAVED YOU._ Then she was falling and all she knew was darkness.

* * *

-Several Days Later-

"Ahem. I'm sorry to announce that Otonokizaka Academy will no longer be accepting students." The chairwoman bowed her head at the sounds of dissent from the currently enrolled students. "All students are to focus on their school life and await graduation. Once the last class has graduated, this school will be shut down."

"Hey, Arisa, did you get accepted by UTX yet?" The half-Russian nodded cheerfully. Yukiho high-fived her best friend and grinned. "We'll be first-years there in the spring. Maybe we'll make our own school idol group even."

"We wouldn't be able to beat A-Rise in terms of popularity though." Arisa said thoughtfully.

"No one could! They're the best around here. It was just an idea." Yukiho's mother poked her head into the bedroom.

"Sorry to bother you, but can you mind the store for a bit?" Yukiho groaned, then got up and followed her mother.

"Wait in here, Arisa. I'll be back in a bit." She waved and followed her mother down to the store front. She sighed as she was left alone behind the store counter. "It would be so much easier on me if I had an older sister…She could watch the store instead of me." There was no point in thinking about what could have been, so she waited somewhat patiently for the next customer to arrive.

* * *

**Bad End: Eternal Darkness**


	11. Chapter 11

**Does any of what I write make sense? (Because sometimes I confuse myself.)**

**This is the third possible ending for Child's Play. You might notice that Muse sometimes indirectly references the past endings as if they have learned from their previous experiences (similar to how a person playing a game may slowly improve their strategy over time.)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Love Live.**

* * *

"I think Maki-chan was the one who gave us this power." Nozomi said as the girls watched Honoka heal her broken arm by simply concentrating. Honoka looked puzzled, as did the rest of the girls, for she was certain that Maki was still an ordinary person with no special abilities that warped reality. "There's no other explanation for it." The spiritual third year said with a small shrug.

"Maybe she stole some of that demon's energy and passed it into us nya!" Rin said excitedly, confident that she had the right idea as to how they received their abilities. "Like in a game!"

"Except this is life or death for all of us, not just her." Nico reminded them.

"We should come up with a strategy. Just charging recklessly in won't work." Eri instructed. "Plus, if it's a demon, then we can't hope to defeat it."

"Then what should we do?" Umi asked. An air of defeat had settled down over the eight of them after realizing that victory wasn't an option for them.

"We can't beat it, but we should be able to create an opening long enough to escape from this place." Honoka suggested. "I mean, Maki-chan is able to open portals from any part of this dimension to another, so she should be able to open one back to the real world. Here's what I think we should do."

With Honoka's plan fresh in their minds, the girls attempted to confidently exit the portal, though their confidence vanished almost completely as soon as they saw the large intimidating figure of the enemy they were to face. Floating next to it, in a net of shadowy energy, was the nearly transparent form of their endangered friend. Maki appeared to be in a trance, her eyes open but clouded by hallucinations of another kind.

_I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO KINDLY PRESENT YOUR SOULS TO ME FOR MY CONSUMPTION. I KNEW THAT THE CHILD WOULD NOT BE PERSUASIVE ENOUGH TO SAVE ANY OF YOU._

"Because we don't leave our friends behind!" Honoka shouted angrily, refusing to let the thing monologue the entire time. She hadn't expected to see Maki so early in the fight, having planned that the creature would keep her hidden until it needed her as a bargaining chip. But having her within their sights just meant that they would act earlier than had originally been planned. 'Maki' wasn't anywhere in view, however, and she was also needed for the plan to work. "So we're going to fight you for her!"

_INTERESTING. SO THIS SCHEMING GIRL HAS THE IMPUDENCE TO USE MY OWN POWER AGAINST ME?_ Its face contorted into a grimace that could barely pass as a smile, if one gave it the benefit of the doubt. _NOT THAT IT MATTERS. ONCE SHE IS CONSUMED, THE POWERS WILL RETURN TO ME._

"As if we'd let you!" Honoka yelled, signalling behind her back with her right hand. The plan was in action now, and she needed to first provide a distraction. The only thing she could think of was to blind the creature, and she couldn't exactly imagine herself as a giant lightbulb. So she did the next best thing, generating electricity from her own body's mechanics. It created an arc between her hands, growing in intensity and brightness the longer she focused on it. With a scream, she caused the electricity to fly out from her, producing enough light to the point where she almost looked like a miniature sun in the dark dimension. As the light dimmed once more, she sagged forward, not expecting the mental breathlessness that followed her display. But she was satisfied to see the thing blinking rapidly, as she would have if a bright light had just been shone in her eyes.

_HOW DARE- I HOPE YOU ARE PREPARED FOR YOUR DEATH._ It raised a fist, still dazed from the light Honoka had created. She hoped that her friends were ready with their portion of the plan as she waited for her energy to recharge. The air made a whistling sound as it swung its hand at her, with the intent of smashing her to a pulp. Which she could possibly be made into if not for Rin's perfectly timed attack. Her friends had scattered as she blinded the creature, and now the first year appeared from next to the creature, lifted off the ground in a glowing matrix in the shape of a giant cat. She swiped at the thing's arm, knocking it aside so that Honoka wasn't killed. Its attention shifted from Honoka to Rin, something which she was grateful for. It gave her time to rest, the only unexpected side effect from using the ability.

"Keep it up, Rin-chan!" Now Kotori joined the brawl, coming in from the other side and cloaked in the same glowing matrix as Rin, though hers took the form of a hawk. The duo took turns with their attacks, so that the creature wasn't able to just focus on one of them. Honoka finally managed to straighten up, her determination to escape winning out over the fatigue she felt. She wanted to rejoin the fight against the creature, as Kotori and Rin couldn't keep up their attacks if their power drained just as quickly as hers did.

"It's done, Honoka-chan!" Nozomi shouted. Honoka wanted to smack the third-year for drawing attention to herself, but the girl wasn't even fazed by the destructive intent she was faced with. Behind it, Rin's avatar disappeared and she fell the last couple feet to the ground. The cat-like first year sat up with difficulty, but she looked fine for the time being. Nozomi waited until it had tried to smash her in the same way it had tried to do Honoka earlier before lashing out. She created a river of water that started from her hands. The liquid snaked, ribbon-like, around the thing's arm. Then Eri joined the other third-year, placing her own hand on the water stream. Their combined efforts allowed Eri to create icicles within the water flow that stabbed at the arm it encircled.

"Oh, good…" Kotori fell in the same manner as Rin, but she was caught by Umi as the bluenette caught her in a slow spinning water vortex.

"Just hold on a little longer, Kotori!" Honoka paid her childhood friends no mind-it wasn't as if they would get hurt with Eri and Nozomi doing their best to irritate the creature-and hurried to where Nico was standing guard over the destroyed shadow cage. Maki was still in her trance, and 'Maki' had yet to appear to them. Honoka couldn't think of any other way to wake up her friend except to shock her back into reality.

Maki ignored the stinging pain that came from Honoka's unintentionally concentrated electrical burst and took in the situation. Rin was being covered by Hanayo, though they weren't the current focus of the creature's attack. Neither were the third years-Nico had run off to assist Eri after Honoka took care of Maki and Nozomi lost control of her water stream. Maki's escape from her cage hadn't gone unnoticed, though Umi was doing her best to protect them.

"_I approve of the current action plan, but I cannot do anything until I reunify with my other half."_ 'Maki' materialized out of nowhere, almost as if she had been trapped by the same cage that had held Maki earlier.

"If you do that too early, then you'll be eaten up and we'd lose all chances of escaping. I'll distract, you both gather everyone into one spot." Both halves of Maki nodded and vanished into separate portals. Out of the corner of her eye, Honoka saw them choose a spot for their escape route. The creature's focus was on Umi; she was holding on far longer than any of the others had in the use of their power. One by one, her other friends dropped through the ground they were standing on, through the portals created by Maki to bring them to where they would escape, Umi being the last one.

_YOU MORTALS HAVE SOME ABILITY, BUT NOT ENOUGH. WITH NO STRENGTH AND NOWHERE TO RUN, YOU'LL ALL DIE._

"I don't think so!" Honoka charged at the creature, her recharged electricity crackling through the air that surrounded her body. She had to generate enough light to blind the thing, and it would work better the closer she got. Or so she thought, as she used the electricity to boost her to the place right in front of its eyes. It hurt more than anything else, to overload her mind's capacity to manipulate so much power. Her electricity struck the thing in its eyes-she knew because it let out an anguished howl- and she could only hope that Maki opened a portal below her. Because she wouldn't be able to save herself with the exhaustion overwhelming her. She fell for a few seconds, then landed in the middle of her friends, saved from hitting the ground by Nozomi's water stream.

"Now it is time we proceed to the final point of the plan." Maki had reunified with herself, and Honoka saw her friends nodding off with her own blurred and sleepy vision. "I'll have to take back what's left of what I gave you, but this should be sufficient enough…"

_YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME!_

"Watch me." Maki scoffed, and that was all Honoka knew before her eyelids closed on her.

When she woke up, she was lying on the couch in the reception room of the Nishikino household. Her other friends were strewn haphazardly around the room-Nico draped over the coffee table, Umi on the floor by the fireplace, Kotori lying on the back of the arm chair that was being occupied by Eri-but they were all present and accounted for. They had managed to escape from the dimension, she realized with a feeling of contented satisfaction. Now they could return to pursuing their goal of Love Live.

* * *

The girls may have though they won, but the creature was patient. It was angry that its prey had managed to escape, though it did give credit to the girl for using its power against it. They may have escaped this time, but they wouldn't be able to the next time they wandered into its dimension. It was willing to wait however long it took to claim the soul that was promised to it, for they had only escaped it. It still existed under the surface of their 'reality' and waited for the time when it could take what rightfully belonged to it.

* * *

**Good End: Escape?**

**This ending has them escape from the alternate dimension, but for how long? And who promised Maki to the creature in the first place?**

**These questions will (maybe) be answered in the next chapter, the TRUE END. See you then!**


End file.
